Shrek the Third is easily the best Shrek I’ve ever played on the 360 or Wii. The unique design for the Wii console brings the world of Shrek to life with a physicality unmatched by any other action platform title, and the entertaining gameplay makes this title a perfect complement to what will easily be the blockbuster box-office event of the year.

I enjoyed playing Shrek the Third because it is a fun, uncomplicated title that is accessible to action fans of all ages. It's a linear adventure, though, so don't expect a whole lot of replay value. If you don't wish to have the movie's plot or characters revealed, I suggest you wait on picking up this game until after you have seen "Shrek the Third" at the theater.

It all boils down to fun and I had fun playing Shrek the Third on the PSP, which is a bigger compliment than you might think considering I've played this game about four times completely through on various systems (twice on the 360). The relatively short levels and pick-up-and-play game design make this a perfect addition to your PSP library, and the entertaining gameplay, full of Shrek flavor, makes this title a perfect complement to what will easily be the blockbuster box-office event of the year.

While the overall experience is pleasant, some of the odd quirks with the camera and game mechanics, as well as the overall lackluster production make this a less than ideal Shrek game and especially a less than ideal 360 game. Recommended for children and achievement whores only!

While the little kids won’t especially notice or even care about the some of the graphical quirks and choppy animation – Puss in Boots is the main culprit – any older gamers will likely be distracted but if you’re just playing the “hard” parts of the game, it’s not so bad. Plus, you’ll look like a video game guru to your kids, which is not something you can demonstrate by chainsawing opponents in Gears of War.

Shrek the Third is a funny beat-'em-up perfect for kids that liked the movie, but it suffers from simple controls and repetitive fighting. The story mode is only a few hours long, so I would not recommend a purchase, but it may be a suitable rental for fans.

While the little kids won’t especially notice or even care about the some of the graphical quirks and choppy animation – Puss in Boots is the main culprit – any older gamers will likely be distracted but if you’re just playing the “hard” parts of the game, it’s not so bad. Plus, you’ll look like a video game guru to your kids, which is not something you can demonstrate by chainsawing opponents in Gears of War.

If you own an Xbox 360 I highly encourage you to download the Shrek the Third demo on Xbox Live and give that a go before you make the purchase. That being said the game has a lot of strengths that help take away from the obvious weaknesses. Based on my time with the game I would venture to say that younger audiences and fans of the Shrek movies will enjoy playing as the green Ogre and all his friends more so then your average mature gamer.

Fans of the Shrek franchise’s particular brand of humor, and it’s penchant for modernizing and satirizing olden fairy tale concepts will be quite pleased with the narrative. Sequences from the “puppet show” highlight plot points, while all the irreverent humor flows through the game through the use of voice, in game cut scenes, and the wacky enemy characters (chief among them the “jock” knights at the Academy, the evil puppets at Stromboli’s lair, and the crazy ice gnomes). Like the movies, the humor works for kids and adults, lending Shrek the Third a respectable place on the list of recent family friendly titles.

Shrek the Third makes a relatively smooth transition from the realm of home consoles to the PSP; however it suffers from the very similar bugs, glitches and setbacks we have seen on the 360 version that I reviewed. Overall this portable version does have some areas of concern but at the end of the day it is an enjoyable experience and scores high in the fun factor, particularly for novice gamers and young fans of the movie alike.

Like the movie, Shrek the Third, the game is not exactly what we wanted, but it manages to put the forgiving smile on our faces, especially when we realize that this is a media product designed for the kids. However, we can't help noticing that the previous Shrek installments and movies were more witty, fun and original. This is becoming some sort of trend, so we'll soon start avoiding the titles that appear at the same time with the movies. We've seen what happened to Ghost Rider, Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four, The Hulk and many other titles. Let's hope that the just released Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (movie and game) won't share Shrek the Third's fate.

Those things aside Shrek the Third is a decent platformer for the younger set. It’s mostly a button masher. You perform the same combo moves over and over again, with very little skill needed to get through the game, which is fine for children. They don’t always comprehend the intricacies of a move which can require four different buttons and pressing the analog stick in three different directions. So, if you’ve got a Shrek fan in your house they might enjoy this, but be ready when they come to you because they can’t pass a certain level in the game, because it might happen more often than you think.

Overall, if you are a big fan of the Shrek universe or have a kid that is you might enjoy this game for what it is and for being able to control your favorite characters. However that fun might not last very long depending on whether you run into any of the aforementioned bugs throughout the game. If you plow through the game not doing any of the challenges or anything you can finish this game in approximately 5 hours, if not sooner. For this reason this game should really be nothing more than a rental at your local video store. If you really like the game I would recommend waiting a few months until the price drops on the game as it is no where near worth the $50 price tag that they are asking for it.

For PSP specifically, the game brings the same style and gameplay as the other consoles, looking slightly weaker than PS2, and suffering from a bit more compression in the audio. Still, the experience is a decent one, and the one multiplayer level – though a step down from the console versions – is an added bonus for gaggles of PSP-owning Shrek fans; you’ll need another disc to play though. Still, the experience is a decent one, and the level-to-level feel makes it a fine licensed game for portable play. If you’re in dire need of some Shrek action this summer, give this one a rent. All others should save their cash for a more committed and in depth gaming experience; Shrek is thin even for a licensed title.

Shrek the Third won’t dazzle you with innovation or engaging gameplay elements. This game is banking on whether or not you’re enough of a fan of the movie to drop your cold hard cash. But, take it from me, it’s just not worth it.

Any way you slice it, Shrek cuts corners, and though it’s still fun to rip through levels, beating up on enemies with simple combos and gag-based finishing attacks, players who want to dive in will find the waters shallow. The entire game can be played with three buttons (or a button and Wii-mote/nunchuk waggle on Wii), and never goes beyond an average quarter-jerking arcade experience. Put a few hours into the game and you’ll see all it has to offer. If you’re in dire need of some Shrek action this summer, give this one a rent. All others should save their cash for a more committed and in depth gaming experience; Shrek is thin even for a licensed title.

The game captures the feel of the franchise, but seriously lacks any sort of depth or attention to detail, as the game is ridden with buggy areas, odd animation glitches, and an entirely linear design. Any way you slice it, Shrek cuts corners, and though it’s still fun to rip through levels, beating up on enemies with simple combos and gag-based finishing attacks, players who want to dive in will find the waters shallow. The entire game can be played with three buttons (or a button and Wii-mote/nunchuk waggle on Wii), and never goes beyond an average quarter-jerking arcade experience. Put a few hours into the game and you’ll see all it has to offer. If you’re in dire need of some Shrek action this summer, give this one a rent. All others should save their cash for a more committed and in depth gaming experience; Shrek is thin even for a licensed title.

The game captures the feel of the franchise, but seriously lacks any sort of depth or attention to detail, as the game is ridden with buggy areas, odd animation glitches, and an entirely linear design. Any way you slice it, Shrek cuts corners, and though it’s still fun to rip through levels, beating up on enemies with simple combos and gag-based finishing attacks, players who want to dive in will find the waters shallow. The entire game can be played with three buttons (or a button and Wii-mote/nunchuk waggle on Wii), and never goes beyond an average quarter-jerking arcade experience. Put a few hours into the game and you’ll see all it has to offer. If you’re in dire need of some Shrek action this summer, give this one a rent. All others should save their cash for a more committed and in depth gaming experience; Shrek is thin even for a licensed title.

The game captures the feel of the franchise, but seriously lacks any sort of depth or attention to detail, as the game is ridden with buggy areas, odd animation glitches, and an entirely linear design. Any way you slice it, Shrek cuts corners, and though it’s still fun to rip through levels, beating up on enemies with simple combos and gag-based finishing attacks, players who want to dive in will find the waters shallow. The entire game can be played with three buttons (or a button and Wii-mote/nunchuk waggle on Wii), and never goes beyond an average quarter-jerking arcade experience. Put a few hours into the game and you’ll see all it has to offer. If you’re in dire need of some Shrek action this summer, give this one a rent. All others should save their cash for a more committed and in depth gaming experience; Shrek is thin even for a licensed title.

If you’re craving more Shrek the Third after seeing the movie, then this is a decent rental. It captures the spirit of the movie pretty well, and the gameplay is solid enough to keep the 5-6 hours of gameplay moving along. Otherwise, there are much better Wii games to spend your hard-earned money on.

Shrek the Third isn't fundamentally broken or inescapably unplayable, but its sheer middle-of-the-road laziness in every contributing aspect makes it all-but impossible to recommend to anyone accept blinkered Shrek / Dreamworks fanatics and those with a bizarre penchant for shoehorned Hollywood dross.

Shrek the Third is certainly a fun game to laugh at, but mostly for reasons that would make you regret playing it. This button-mashing brawler offers decent combat functionality, yet cannot deliver one adversary that you would actually feel good about punching…unless you get a kick out of clocking knights that are as passive as Buddhist monks. With levels that redefine “linear,” there is no need to collect objects in a game like this, but that’s mostly what you end up doing. Shrek may have found a place in the fairy tale kingdom, but in gaming, he’s still a grotesque abomination that should be burned at the stake.

Overall, Shrek the Third is not a very good game. It's easily the worst of the summer trilogy titles (Pirates, Spidey, Shrek), which is sort of apt, seeing as how it was also the worst among the competing trilogy movies. Poor visuals, dated gameplay, and horrible audio really make this one a game to avoid.

What's perhaps most depressing about Shrek the Third is that the actual quality of the game will have little, if any, bearing on its success. The game seems to operate under the notion that its audience simply isn't concerned with getting an experience that's interesting or inventive; sadly, it's probably right.

What's perhaps most depressing about Shrek the Third is that the actual quality of the game will have little, if any, bearing on its success. The game seems to operate under the notion that its audience simply isn't concerned with getting an experience that's interesting or inventive, and sadly, it's probably right.

What's perhaps most depressing about Shrek the Third is that the actual quality of the game will have little, if any, bearing on its success. The game seems to operate under the notion that its audience simply isn't concerned with getting an experience that's interesting or inventive, and sadly, it's probably right.

What's perhaps most depressing about Shrek the Third is that the actual quality of the game will have little, if any, bearing on its success. The game seems to operate under the notion that its audience simply isn't concerned with getting an experience that's interesting or inventive, and sadly, it's probably right.

Time to wind down completely. We're going work our resigned looks now. As ever, Shrek the Third is yet another middle of the road film license that survives by dint of being as average as they come. It'll make its requisite sales from the easily-pleased, trouble the charts for a bit, and then vanish forgetfully into the ether. We deserve better, so hang your head dejectedly and shake it slowly from side to side a couple of times. And that's it, we're done. Phew, who knew reviewing could be so exhausting?

The big green ogre we know as Shrek returns this summer with Shrek the Third, in theatres now. Not surprisingly, Shrek 3 the game is out across all major platforms. I’ve been playing the PC version for a while now, and I admit it’s better than I expected for a kid’s movie game, but at the same time it’s nothing to write home about.

In the end, it’s hard to recommend Shrek the Third to anyone but devoted fans of the film or younger children. It is hard to justify spending $60 on a game that simply wasn’t put together very well or with a lot of care. Skip this one, buy the kids some other official Shrek merchandise.

In the end, it’s hard to recommend Shrek the Third to anyone but devoted fans of the film or younger children. It is hard to justify spending $60 on a game that simply wasn’t put together very well or with a lot of care. Skip this one, buy the kids some other official Shrek merchandise.

It would be fine enough if this was just a case of being for a younger audience, but there are games that fulfill that purpose better than this one. The only group I can recommend this game to would be extreme fans of the movie, and judging from the movie's reviews, there won’t be too many of those.

This game is assured a big money haul based on its brand recognition alone. However, after reading this review, hopefully you aren't going to get duped like countless others. Stay "Far Far Away" from this one.

Maybe it’ll hold a smaller child’s attention but that doesn't mean it's a good game. Barney the dinosaur can also enteratain a child, and that's awful. Shrek the Third quickly becomes a chore for even the mildly experienced gamer. With games like these I always judge them by their value independent of the license. In other words, if you took Shrek out, would you still buy it? And the answer here is a resounding “no.” Maybe a weekend rental for the kid(s) if they whined, but other than that, I don’t see anyone but the most ardent Shrek fans finding this game worth $60.

Shrek the Third's main problem is its complete lack of spark. It's bound to please youngsters eager for more of their favourite loveable green ogre, but it's really nothing more than a cynical cash in. Surprisingly it's not the worst movie tie-in of the summer, but that's not saying a great deal.

There’s really no reason to recommend Shrek. It’s possible a six-year-old could be amused by it, but at E10+, they shouldn’t' be playing it. And anyhow, there are plenty of other kid-friendly games that will challenge their brains and inspire their imaginations. And make them actually laugh.

Ultimately, this is the sort of film license that we are starting to see more frequently in the last year. Gamestyle had hoped that such quick and pointless tie-ins were consigned to the 80s and 90s, with film studios now taking more care over related products. Unfortunately this summer we've experienced far too many of these quick cash-ins that fail to do the source justice or even utilise the capabilities of the host machine to any degree. Shrek The Third is best left lying in the bargain buckets, and even then, that's too good a fate for what it actually is.

If Shrek the Third is a title aimed at the younger crowd, then the game is way too difficult for them. If Shrek the Third is meant for the older crown, then the game isn’t nearly compelling enough. If Shrek the Third is meant for all ages, then the young and old will be equally disappointment: bored and aggravated from fighting the controls, the camera, and the lackluster levels design in a game that just isn’t worth it.

It feels rushed, it looks like it belongs on the Dreamcast, and at some points death is unavoidable. It's a shame some basic fighting mechanics are stuck inside the drab levels and pathetic camera. SHReK the ThiRD is broken.